As Congress gets ready to vote on whether to “fast-track” the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), its proponents are making weaker and more far-fetched arguments for the deal. And they keep getting their facts wrong and their logic twisted.

‘Tis the season once again. You should know it well by now: a “progressive” Democrat running in the primaries for president of the United States. We’ve seen it all before, from Jesse Jackson to Dennis Kucinich, left-leaning voters have time-and-again been asked to support candidates that are working to transform the corrupt and war-hungry Democratic Party from within. And each and every time this strategy has failed — not only to elect a progressive Democrat into the White House — but to alter the party that offer themselves up as a lighter shade of neo-con.

WikiLeaks has released 17 secret documents from the negotiations of the global Trade in Services Agreement (TISA), which have been taking place behind closed doors, largely unnoticed, since 2013. The main participants are the United States, the European Union, and 23 other countries including Turkey, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Pakistan, Taiwan and Israel, which together comprise two-thirds of global GDP.

The so-called leaders of the free world will meet for the annual G7 conference on June 7 and 8 in a hermetically sealed high-security zone. The event will be held at Elmau Castle, a luxury resort in the Bavarian Alps, roughly 100 km south of Munich.

The belated focus of American and British authorities on the alleged wrongdoings at FIFA can be readily seen as both ludicrous and laughable when we compare that with the absolute dearth of interest by these same authorities in applying law enforcement where it ought to be applied – on the Wall Street and City of London banksters.

Both the timing of the US-launched corruption probe – in the week of FIFA’s annual conference and leadership election – plus the way that senior American and British officials, not to mention the publicity of Western news media, have weighed-in to rebuke FIFA suggests that it is all part of a coordinated political campaign authored at the highest level of government. That, in turn, suggests that there is an ulterior political agenda behind the supposed criminal crackdown on FIFA, and that the ulterior agenda is the Western objective to undermine Russia.

New statistics from Missouri show that the racial disparity in police stops, searches and arrests of drivers was higher, last year, than at any time since the year 2000, when Missouri started keeping records.

Washington’s attack on world soccer is following the script of Washington’s attack on the Russian-hosted Sochi Olympics. The difference is that Washington couldn’t stop the Olympics from being held in Sochi, and was limited to scaring off westerners with lies and propaganda. In the current scandal orchestrated by Washington, Washington intends to use its takeover of FIFA to renege on FIFA’s decision that Russia host the next World Cup.

International lawyer Barry Grossman says US neoconservatives are seeking a military attack against Iran over the country’s nuclear program because it is “profitable” for them.

As the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) and the Democratic administration of Mayor Rahm Emanuel continue negotiations for a new contract covering 30,000 teachers and other school employees, Barbara Byrd-Bennett, CEO of Chicago Public Schools (CPS), has been forced to step down from her $250,000 per year position after being targeted by a federal corruption probe. The resignation takes place amid increasingly vocal demands in the media for financial takeover of the school district and as authorities continue to expand privately run, for-profit charter operations.

Students in the state’s official propaganda institutions learn about the wonders of the ­­democratic process, so called, throughout their years of formal study. But the truth is on full display during a presidential election season. These are not wise statesmen, discussing matters of importance from a disinterested, platonic summit, but narcissistic power-seekers shoveling ill-gotten gains to favored constituencies.

By Brandon Turbeville

Considering the years of propaganda surrounding Iran and its nuclear program, it was clear to any informed observer that the recent US-Iran nuclear deal was nothing more than theatre. After all, the US/NATO imperialist machine has made its desire to wage war on the Persian nation explicit for some time. The only question is just how long this theatre will last before that goal is finally realized...

US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter is willing to risk a war with China in order to defend “freedom of navigation” in the South China Sea. Speaking in Honolulu, Hawaii on Wednesday, Carter issued his “most forceful” warning yet, demanding “an immediate and lasting halt to land reclamation” by China in the disputed Spratly Islands.

For the third time in twenty-six years, there is the frightening possibility of a Bush being a viable presidential candidate. The United States voter has a short memory indeed, if he or she will even consider casting their ballot for former Florida governor Jeb Bush, son of one-term president George Bush, and brother of the self-proclaimed ‘War President’, the disastrous George W. Bush.

By Catherine J. Frompovich

What kind of cockamamie statistical reporting uses ‘older data’ if not for the prime purpose to skew information? That reminds me of the CDC’s statistical information games about vaccines causing autism, the skewing of autism-vaccine data for ten years or so as documented by the CDC’s William Thompson, PhD, and the apparent misinformation given under oath during congressional hearings by another CDC PhD, Coleen Boyle. When will Congress wake up and do what citizens send them to Capitol Hill to do, and that is, exercise OVERSIGHT that’s not influenced by vested interests—in this case, Big Pharma?...

President Obama must wonder whether someone is trying to tell him something. On March 31, 2010, he announced an expansion of offshore oil and gas exploration, putting his faith in “new technologies that reduce the impact of oil exploration.” Just 20 days later, the Deepwater Horizon blowout became the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. Then, last month, with the ink scarcely dry on his administration’s initial approval of Shell’s plans to drill in the Arctic, more than 100,000 gallons of crude oil fouled the California coastline off Refugio State Beach, raising memories of the disastrous 1969 Santa Barbara spill that helped drive the first Earth Day a year later.

The US Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency are spying on all people around the world, particularly those in Islamic countries that Israel does not like, a broadcast journalist in New York City says.

America is a police state. The FBI is the nation’s Gestapo. It’s abuse of power and misconduct are longstanding.

It’s an instrument for systematically violating civil liberties. It’s a rogue agency operating unconstitutionally.

Even as talk about the expiry of various parts of the USA Patriot Act was taking place, the background was never going to move that much. Assumptions of security – or its other side, paralytic insecurity – are so entrenched in the complex of power that they tend to win out. Empires on the run tend to seek ways of affirming their demise.

The more the White House sticks with this wholly unbelievable line about "very serious crimes" at the very same time that Congress is debating reforms to surveillance programs only because of Snowden's actions, the more and more ridiculous the administration looks. I get that there must be some sort of ridiculous "political calculation" being made here about "looking strong" and "not encouraging" more leaks or something -- but all it really does is make the administration look foolish and unwilling to be honest.

As most Britons reel from tough austerity measures, the watchdog that regulates MPs’ pay has decided to raise their salaries by 10%.

A leading spokesperson for the lobbying reform community predicts the 2016 election will galvanize fresh anti-corruption initiatives.

Craig Holman, Ph.D., Government Affairs Lobbyist for the advocacy group Public Citizen was on the job when the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal broke in 2005. He went on to play a major role in the legislation assembled in the scandal’s wake, 2007’s amendment to the 1995 Lobbying Disclosure Act, The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act or LOGA. Suffice to say Holman was feeling déjà vu all over again when I sat down with him recently.

On Tuesday, the Senate passed a version of the USA Freedom Act, a bill touted by its authors as surveillance reform that will end the NSA’s mass, suspicionless collection of Americans’ personal data. Given that parts of the Patriot Act expired on June 1st, and that the government is pretending the expiration is a “crisis” rather than an opportunity, President Obama [signed the bill into law soon after].

US President Barack Obama says Israel is losing “credibility” among the international community over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s stance on the creation of a Palestinian state.

The FBI is operating a small air force with scores of low-flying planes across the US carrying video and, at times, cellphone surveillance technology – all hidden behind fictitious companies that are fronts for the government, the Associated Press has learned.

New York City, New York – Ymmacula Pierre, A three year veteran of the NYPD is being charged by Manhatten district attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. with grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, identity theft and official misconduct for stealing the credit card number of a dead man she encountered on the job, and using it to purchase fancy jewels online from Zales in excess of $3000. In July of 2014 Pierre was called to make a wellness check of 65 year old architect, Ken Sanden because after concerned colleagues called after he did not show up for work.

It couldn’t be a sunnier, more beautiful day to exit your lives — or enter them — depending on how you care to look at it. After all, here you are four years later in your graduation togs with your parents looking on, waiting to celebrate. The question is: Celebrate what exactly?

FIFA boss Sepp Blatter’s sudden resignation this week only days after being re-elected shows that the US campaign to bust the football federation over alleged financial corruption is probably going to intensify during the weeks and months ahead. Blatter had been re-elected for the fifth time last Friday as the federation’s president. He had earlier brushed off calls for his resignation from the American and British governments, amid a storm of media allegations over corruption at the World Cup organising body. Now only four days after being re-elected, the FIFA chief executive is quitting, saying somewhat cryptically that he does not have a sufficient mandate in the world of football to continue at the helm of the organisation.

The Cop Is On the Take, but the private sector is no better … for example, the big banks have literally turned into criminal syndicates engaged in systemic fraud.

Wall Street and giant corporations are literally manipulating every single market.

And the big corporations are cutting corners to make an extra penny … wreaking havoc with their carelessness.

As the Senate scrambled to pass the USA Freedom Act this evening, reinstating the agency’s ability to spy on Americans, Ron Paul points out that US intelligence organizations have always – and will continue – to operate outside the law; with Daniel McAdams noting the CIA "is sort of the President’s own Praetorian Guard." As Sputnik News reports, before Americans applaud a minor step toward transparency, Paul warns that they should recognize the corrosive nature of the CIA, "They are a secret government," operating way above the law, and are "way out of control."

We can answer that in one sentence: because our freedom is at stake, just like it was at the time of the original American Revolution.

Any “spying on Americans” needs a court order, says Bob McNeil, the founder of the American Citizen Party, calling for “pointed” investigations at the agency rather than data collection.